JAKARTA: Jantho Nature Reserve in Aceh has welcomed another Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) born in the wild, the offspring of a rehabilitated orangutan that was released into the wild in 2014.
Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) reported the birth was the second birth in eight months at the Jantho Orangutan Reintroduction Center in Aceh Besar regency.
Ujang Wisnu Barata, head of Aceh BKSDA, said the second birth was confirmed on July 29. The female orangutan baby was the offspring of rehabilitated orangutan Wenda, who has lived in the natural habitat since 2014.
Wisnu said since being released into the wild at Jantho Nature Reserve, Wenda has been periodically monitored by the post-release monitoring (PRM) team. Wenda showed positive development while living in the natural habitat and has delivered 11 babies during her stay in Jantho.
Wisnu told The Jakarta Post on Sunday (Aug 2) that signs of Wenda’s pregnancy were first identified in January through physical changes observed during monitoring activities. Several days ago, the PRM team detected that Wenda had delivered her baby and was carrying her around.
“We have observed the baby from nearby and she is healthy,” he said.
Wisnu said the birth was proof of successful rehabilitation after animals are released into the wild, which is carried out sustainably by the Forestry Ministry and conservation partners.
He said Wenda was taken from captivity and brought to the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) in Sibolangit, Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, while she was still one year old.
Wenda was transferred to Jantho Orangutan Reintroduction Center in 2013 and was released into the wild in 2014.
Wisnu said releasing Wenda into the wild was a result of the successful partnership involving the government, conservation partners and the public in maintaining Jantho Nature Reserve’s sustainability as a habitat for Sumatran orangutans.
He added that the population of orangutans at the nature reserve is steadily rising.
“The number of orangutans at Jantho Nature Reserve is currently 197 individuals, with 146 of them from SOCP Sibolangit. There are also 40 translocated wild orangutans and 11 births,” he said.
“The government is committed to maintaining the sustainability of Jantho Nature Reserve as a natural habitat for orangutan by strengthening monitoring, increasing collaboration with conservation partners and involving the public in preserving forests from degradation and preventing the wildlife trade.”
Previously, another Sumatran orangutan was born at the Jantho Natural Reserve. The birth was confirmed after a monitoring team found the mother, Bulan, to be actively moving in treetops while carrying her male baby, which has been named Badar, and displaying protective behaviour on May 22.
Bulan is also a rehabilitated orangutan, and has lived in the reserve since 2018.
The Forestry Ministry recently released the results of the latest survey of the orangutan population, which amounted to 12,410 individuals, a 19.5 per cent decrease from the baseline in 2011.
Deputy Forestry Minister Rohmat Marzuki said the latest survey, held in 2021-2023, revealed the number of Sumatran orangutan stood at 11,694 individuals, while the Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis) population is recorded at 716 individuals.
Meanwhile, a study released recently by the Borneo Future, World Weather Attribution and Liverpool John Moores University said at least 58 individuals, about 7 per cent of a total of 800 Tapanuli orangutans, died in the November 2025 floods and landslides.
Most Tapanuli orangutans reside in the Batang Toru ecosystem region in South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
